Minnesota Piano Tuner / Technician

The things you find inside pianos……

Simon — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:09:32 +0000

Older pianos can be a treasure trove – dig under the keys or by the pedals and one can often find old pencils, toys, even photographs! One piano I was working on gave up12 pencils that had fallen in over the years! Just recently, the customer complained that the new piano she had just bought used had some uneven keys. I removed the first keys and saw a tell tale sign – some bundles of fuzz and some small black pellets. Mice! But I was not prepared for what I saw next – the entire keyboard section under the keys was filled up with dig food! The mice must have been storing it for months! Quite bizarre!

How do I clean under the strings of my piano?

Simon — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:28:21 +0000

People often ask their piano technician how they clean under the ‘hood’! What they are asking is how they can remove the dust that always settles on the plate of a grand piano, and also on the soundboard under the strings. The answer is that an owner can dust a lot of areas but care must be taken not to damage the strings or even touch them with fingers……but any metal or wood surfaces are fair game.

When I clean pianos, and I’m asked to do a really thorough job, I use a brush to get in and around the tuning pins – that loosens up a lot of the dust that collects in between the pins – then if I need to I go in with cotton buds to move the dust out of the way. I use cotton buds a lot actually, to get to all those tricky places.

To get to the dust UNDER the strings, technicians use a long thing floppy piece of metal called a steel – this allows them to manipulate a rag under the pianos strings and move the dust and dirt to reveal the wood of the soundboard! The process doesn’t take long – so if you think your piano needs some TLC under the hood, give us a call!

Avoiding the holiday crush!

Simon — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:55:37 +0000

Everybody wanted their pianos tuned and working well for that holiday party…….and we were able to help. Call us in advance to set up your tuning to make sure we can get you on the schedule. If you book a second tuning at the time of the first, we’ll also give you a 15% discount! Don’t forget – we want your celebration to celebrate your piano too!

Now accepting credit cards!

Simon — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:05:19 +0000

Yes – we now take credit cards – Mastercard, Visa, Discover, American Express.

Does your piano ‘feel funny’?

Simon — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:31:11 +0000

The touch of a piano ie. the way the piano feels when you play it ( as opposed to how it sounds ) over time can change. The felt under the keys can become compressed with use or can become swollen with moisture. This can change the way the keys feel, and impact the performance too…….so it feels a bit goofy, ask your technician to give you his recommendations. Often 30 minutes of regulation work can make the piano play so much better…………and the cheapest option is to have it done at the same time as a tuning!

How do I know if my piano technician is any good?

Simon — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 20:58:13 +0000

Good question! Basically, if he makes your piano feel or sound better, and he doesn’t steal anything whilst he’s in your home, he’s probably good! But these are the obvious things……..every tuner / technician had a different style and skill set. Does he seem professional? Does he do the job quickly? Is he thorough? Or maybe he’s too slow………or you have to call him back because he missed something. These are all things to take into account………if he’s a member of the Piano Technicians Guild it might mean he’s good, but he could be good without being a member. Has he qualified to install humidity systems, or PianoDisc? If he has, this is an indication he’s keen to better himself and is probably a good one!

So use common sense……..if he or she makes you feel uneasy, try someone else……you’ll eventually find a good match for you and your piano!

Now is the winter of our discontent ( if you’re a piano! )

Simon — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 02:06:09 +0000

Yep, it’s true – pianos don’t much care for the dry cold weather in winter time. We turn our heating on and the moisture that summer left behind is evaporated. The piano is like a sponge that is dried out – and this will result in the tension reducing and in turn, the pitch goes down and the piano goes out of tune. One thing you can do to protect the long term wellness of your piano is think about installing a humidity system for the piano. These great systems fit under the piano, out of sight, and keep the humidity constant, by means of a de-humidifier for the humid summer weather, as well as a humidifier for when it’s dry. They protect the soundboard, the action, the bridges – and keep the piano happy all year round. Interested? Call us – 763 546 0843 for a quote. We’d love to hear from you.

Getting ready for winter in the piano world

Simon — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 21:42:47 +0000

As we start to think about the weather winding down and getting colder, we’ll be turning out heating on. When this happens all the moisture that’s in the piano will evaporate and leave the piano feeling like a wrung out sponge – the added tension that humidity brings on will go, and the pitch of the piano will drop. So, get ready! My advice? Wait for a couple of weeks after the heat goes on, then tune. Of course, a piano that’s been carefully tuned on a regular basis will be much more adaptable and stable than a piano that’s been left for a while, so there’s never a good time to leave the tuning to chance. So as you get ready for winter, spare a thought for your best musical friend, the piano!

Chinese Pianos

Simon — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:55:24 +0000

Next week I will be traveling to China for one of my trips to check the quality on 2 brands of pianos made there at the Pearl River Piano factory in Guangzhou. I inspect the Cristofori pianos and the Lyrica pianos before they are packaged up and shipped to the US for retail. Steinway pianos are also made at the factory too…….so the quality is getting better and better. Now is a great time to buy a new piano as prices are very competitive! Plus, USA companies are taking the time and effort and money to make sure the quality is consistent – we want a good quality piano at a great price to offer the public so we take care to make sure our standards are met. It will be hot and sticky but to be surrounded by pianos and piano technicians is a great experience!

Why does my piano only have 85 keys?

Simon — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:21:49 +0000

Well, it’s probably from Europe. They obviously don’t care too much for the top 3 notes as often they have an 85 note range. The keyboard stops at A. I guess we all do things differently.